The Best Beef Stew

I've had a roast in my freezer for a couple weeks now and decided it was time to finally use it. I personally would rather have a stew than a roast- its more flavors!- so I have trimmed my roast down to about 1.5 inch peices for this stew. The original recipe calls for some ingredients that I know we all don't have on hand so, I've left those out or made substitutions.

This stew takes about 2.5 hours to cook so make sure you have time, or you can adjust and make it in a slow cooker. Also, make sure you have a good red wine on hand for this stew since the flavor of the wine will affect the outcome of the flavor of the stew.

Lets get started!

Best Beef Stew
 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 4 lb boneless beef chuck-eye roast, fat trimmed, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
2 T veg oil
1 Large onion, halved through the root end and sliced 1/8 inch thick
4 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 C all purpose flour
2 Cups red wine
2 Cups chicken broth
2 Bay leaves
4 Sprigs fresh thyme
4 ounces salt pork (I am using bacon since I don't have salt pork lying round my fridge)
1 lb yukon gold potaotes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 C water
1 C frozen peas, thawed
Salt and Pepper

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic in a small bowl with a pinch of coarse salt, use the back of a fork or knife to form into a paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.

Pat meat dry with paper towels. Do not season. Heat 1 T veg oil in a large, heavy bottomed Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or if the bits on the bottom begin to burn. Transfer beef to a large plate. Repeat with remaining 1 T veg oil and remaining half of beef, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.

Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1-2 minutes. Add garlic/tomato paste mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry

Meatloaf, meatloaf, double-beet loaf, I LOVE MEATLOAF!

Shout out to all those who recognize the nod to my favorite Christmas movie in the title of this post! Anyway, it is true- I LOVE meatloaf. Well, let me be more specific; I love my Granddad's meatloaf. I never knew my grandad since he passed away 3 years before I was born, but I feel close to him every time I have this meatloaf and feel like I know him in some way. Here is a picture of my grandma and grandad at their wedding.

Aren't they the cutest??

Anyway, back to the meatloaf. If I could chose the meal I could have before I die, this would be it. It reminds me of home, and love, and being cozy on a cold winter night. Its so simple but oh so good. Its slightly different than most meatloaf recipes because of one ingredient- oatmeal. It uses oats instead of breadcrumbs and I think it makes all the difference. They keep the meatloaf moist and tender without making it soggy. Try it, you won't be disappointed! On to the recipe!

Granddad's Meatloaf

2.5-3 lbs ground beef
1 large onion diced
2-3 large eggs
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 package of McCormick's Meatloaf seasoning OR Lipton's Meaty Onion soup mix
2-3 C Oats (quick oats small size is best, but I have used the regular and it works fine as well)
3-3 tsp salt and pepper
Ketchup
Bacon strips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, blend ground beef, onion, meatloaf seasoning (or soup mix), eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Make sure the mixture is mixed well then add oats in small batches. Use your hands to really mix well. Form into oblong shape, patting it together. Transfer to large oblong baking dish lined with non-stick aluminum foil. Spread ketchup over the top and add strips of bacon to cover.

Cover with lid (or foil) and bake for 1.5-2 hours. Juices should run clear when poked in the middle. Take the lid off the last 10-15 minutes to brown. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Tonight I am serving this with sauteed mushrooms, roasted potatoes and a package of antioxidant rich steamed veggies. The mushrooms are super simple. Simply wipe mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and remove stems and slice. Heat a few tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Add sliced mushrooms to the pan and saute until golden brown. De-glaze the pan with a few tablespoons of red wine, let the wine evaporate and then serve!

The potatoes are even easier- just cut red potatoes in half and season with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread onto a non-stick foiled baking sheet and roast in oven at 400 degrees until they are golden brown and fork tender. I usually stir them occasionally while they are roasting.

So that's dinner tonight! I like meals like this because I can have the meatloaf and potatoes in the oven at the same time and I just need to start the mushrooms about 10 minutes before we are ready to eat. Everything comes together with this meal over time so I don't feel like I'm scrambling at the last minute to get everything to come out at the same time. I hope you enjoy these recipes- I know I will! I can't wait for dinner tonight!